His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday warned against “wasting more time” and urged immediate steps to resume Middle East peace talks.

In a phone call he received from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah said Israelis and Palestinians should enter serious and effective talks as soon as possible, in accordance with the agreed on international terms of reference, to address all final status issues and arrive at the implementation of a two-state solution.

The King told the Israeli premier that the negotiations should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil that lives in peace and security alongside Israel. The current stalemate, he stressed, threatens the security and stability of the entire region.

He discussed with Netanyahu the latest developments to remove obstacles to the resumption of the peace talks and emphasised that the commitment to peace must be reflected in actions that remove hindrances to the peace process and in immediate engagement in negotiations with the aim of realising the two-state solution, which, he said, is the sole path to regional security and stability.